Becoming an Overnight Success....After a Decade, with Ripley Rader, Founder of Ripley Rader
Dear FoundHer...Real Founder Stories for Women Small Business Owners
Lindsay Pinchuk
4.9 • 1.1K Ratings
🗓️ 18 February 2025
⏱️ 45 minutes
🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS
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Summary
Join the Dear FoundHer... Forum to build your business with the support of a community who truly gets it.
The Dear FoundHer… Forum is exclusively for female entrepreneurs over forty who are building, growing, or scaling their businesses.
There’s no gatekeeping here—just actionable support, real conversations, and access to insights that truly matter. Use the code FOUNDHER for 20% OFF.
Click here to check out about the networking community everyone's talking about.
Success rarely happens overnight, but what does it take to stick with something long enough to make it work? Ripley Rader knows firsthand. She spent years sewing her own clothes, believing in her designs, and grinding through the tough moments before her fashion brand became a multimillion-dollar powerhouse.
Lindsay Pinchuk sits down with Ripley, the designer behind the viral wide-leg pants that women can’t stop raving about. Ripley shares how a single jumpsuit changed everything, what happened when a Fred Segal buyer took a chance on her, and why she chose to grow the brand without investors. She gets real about the sacrifices no one talks about—the financial struggles, the years of uncertainty, and the gut instincts that kept her going.
What makes a product take off? How do you scale a business without losing yourself in the process? Ripley breaks it all down, from building an authentic brand to trusting the slow, steady path to success. She also shares her best advice for entrepreneurs who are serious about making an impact. If you’ve wondered whether to stick with something a little longer, this episode will give you a reason to keep going.
Episode Breakdown:
00:00 Introduction
04:04 Ripley’s Fashion Journey
07:19 Early Challenges and Breakthroughs
10:15 Transition to Commercial Production
13:16 Ripley’s Clothing Line
15:53 The Viral Pants
19:24 Impact of Viral Success
21:36 Marketing Strategy
25:01 Company Growth and Scaling
28:12 Adapting to Rapid Growth
30:01 Team Structure and Hiring
33:42 Company Goals and Vision
34:45 Building on Momentum
35:20 Holiday Collection
37:35 Marketing Tactics
40:29 Influencers vs. Influentials
41:30 Advice to Younger Self
42:11 Actionable Steps for New Entrepreneurs
43:11 Closing
Connect with Ripley Rader:
http://www.instagram.com/shopripleyrader
http://www.instagram.com/ripleyrader
Join the Dear FoundHer Forum: https://www.dearfoundher.com/dear-foundher-forum
Get on the waitlist for Marketing Made Simple for Small Business:
https://lindsaypinchuk.myflodesk.com/waitlist
Don't forget to follow Lindsay on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lindsaypinchuk
Podcast production and show notes provided by HiveCast.fm
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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | Hi guys, it's me, Lindsay Pinchuk, host of Dear Fountain, and in just a second, you're going to hear |
| 0:05.0 | me talk to the incredible Ripley Raider about how she started, stuck with, and eventually |
| 0:09.4 | made her fashion brand explode. One of the themes that you'll hear us discuss today is the importance |
| 0:15.4 | of sticking with it. You may see Ripley's fashion designs all over right now, especially on social media, but it wasn't always this way. |
| 0:23.6 | The thing that stuck out to me about Ripley is that she stuck with it. |
| 0:28.3 | She knew that she had something she believed in herself and she did everything in her power to take what she was building and to create an empire. |
| 0:35.7 | It took her about a decade before her brand actually exploded, |
| 0:38.9 | and obviously she learned a ton along the way, and she didn't do it on her own. Now, this right here |
| 0:45.1 | is the exact reason why I created our online networking community the Deere found her forum, |
| 0:50.2 | so that you could build your brands and businesses, and you don't have to do it alone. |
| 0:54.9 | Inside our online community, you get office hours with me, you'll find free workshops with |
| 1:00.2 | industry experts and a ton of resources to help you build and grow your business. But the best part |
| 1:06.1 | is that you get connected with like-minded business owners who are also women that are going |
| 1:10.5 | through the exact same thing you are on their own business journey. You can use the code Found Her for 20% |
| 1:16.8 | off and get access to all of this and so much more. I hope to see you inside. But for now, |
| 1:22.3 | on to today's episode. Welcome to Dear Founder, the podcast that pulls back the curtain on what it really takes |
| 1:31.0 | to build and grow a successful business. No gatekeeping, no fluff, just real talk. I'm your host, |
| 1:38.5 | Lindsay Pinchuk, award-winning entrepreneur, founder, and proud member of the 1% of female founders who've led their company |
| 1:46.2 | to an acquisition. I bootstrapped my first company from $500 to seven figures before selling |
| 1:51.9 | it and learned more from the mistakes than from the wins. What started as a podcast here |
| 1:57.5 | has grown into a movement. Support supporting female entrepreneurs like you through not only |
| 2:02.5 | this show, but also on our social media, at our live events, and in our online community, |
... |
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